Why CVT's are awesome

[Garandman]

Well I popped in hear to hear why CVT's are awesome.
I'm talking strictly cars now.
Haven't heard one thing that makes me think so yet.
Not being a wise guy or starting anything but I fell manuals are the best trans. out there and I'll state why.//

What manual vehicle(s) do you have?

 

[Renze]

Most of the ones in cars are designed for light duty (focus on economy) and they are not rated for heavy towing. At some point we may see a heavier duty design, but there is probably a reason Ford is going to 10 speed F-150s instead of CVTs.

The VW Transporter at work, with its 7 speed DSG, runs great, and is able to tow. Volvo trucks have I-Shift double clutch gearboxes in their heavy trucks.

 

[kco]

I don't care what tech is used for a transmission as long as it does it's job....

Now I do have a question... We've got a '15 Subaru Outback at home and the one thing that drive me nutz with the transmission is shifting into drive. There's a huge lag when putting the car in drive. I noticed this was true on all the Outbacks we test drove. Can anyone confirm if this is a Subaru thing or are all CVT transmissions like this?

Other than this lag, I have no problems with how the transmission performs... It does small little fake shifts, which I could care less about, but we get excellent MPGs for a fulltime AWD vehicle.

We have a 2015 Forester with the same lag you mention crabjoe. Reading the reviews before we bought, it seems like a built-in characteristic. It is mildly annoying and still surprises me if I have not been driving the Forester for a while. We got the model with the Eyesight package and X-mode someone already mentioned. I am very impressed with Eyesight and cruise control. It is smooth and I never notice shifting when it is on. It is the most accurate cruise control I have seen. It keeps the speed within 1 km/hr. I drive the Coquihalla Highway between Kelowna, Merritt and Hope BC several times a year. It involves miles-long, steep inclines in four places. There is an indicator when the brakes are applied, and for the most part the transmission adjusts the speed without using brakes. It is interesting to watch the tach reading higher but with no discernible shifting. Similarly while going uphill, it is interesting to see the engine speed changing up and down with no transmission shift feeling.

The mid-model we bought also has X-mode and a paddle-type shifter which simulates gears. I had not seriously tried X-mode until we took a drive up into the Hunter Hills snowmobile area 5 or 6 weeks ago. It is effective for keeping a slow speed for steep descents--sort of like using 4WD low range and low gear in my truck. I also used the manual shifter for many of the steep uphill stretches.

We've owned the Forster over a year and are very impressed with the CVT transmission. Of course that would change if the thing fails.

 

[crabjoe]

We have a 2015 Forester with the same lag you mention crabjoe. Reading the reviews before we bought, it seems like a built-in characteristic. It is mildly annoying and still surprises me if I have not been driving the Forester for a while. We got the model with the Eyesight package and X-mode someone already mentioned. I am very impressed with Eyesight and cruise control. It is smooth and I never notice shifting when it is on. It is the most accurate cruise control I have seen. It keeps the speed within 1 km/hr. I drive the Coquihalla Highway between Kelowna, Merritt and Hope BC several times a year. It involves miles-long, steep inclines in four places. There is an indicator when the brakes are applied, and for the most part the transmission adjusts the speed without using brakes. It is interesting to watch the tach reading higher but with no discernible shifting. Similarly while going uphill, it is interesting to see the engine speed changing up and down with no transmission shift feeling.

The mid-model we bought also has X-mode and a paddle-type shifter which simulates gears. I had not seriously tried X-mode until we took a drive up into the Hunter Hills snowmobile area 5 or 6 weeks ago. It is effective for keeping a slow speed for steep descents--sort of like using 4WD low range and low gear in my truck. I also used the manual shifter for many of the steep uphill stretches.

We've owned the Forster over a year and are very impressed with the CVT transmission. Of course that would change if the thing fails.

We've got Eyesight and X mode in the Outback too. Eyesight is the best thing since sliced bread. It works and because it works, there are a few Deer that are every happy.

Xmode... I tried it once on sand, out on Assateague Island. I felt it was worthless. The Outback got stuck and the only way to get it out was to turn off all the nanny controls and give it gas, which worked. You can't rock it because the lag in shifting into drive.

BTW, the Subie is a beast in the snow, even without snow tires.

 

[daugen]

The intuitive CVT continues to prove that it’s one of the best around, and I’m especially fond of the standard shift paddles (a feature missing from our long-term CR-V), but the transmission does hesitate to engage when going from reverse to drive, waiting an annoying second or two to respond to throttle tip-in.
Subaru's CVT is well thought of, with a few quirks. So is its Eyesight system.
216 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited Review - Long-Term Update 3

I was wondering why one would want paddle shifters on a CVT and the answer was here. Gearholding going downhill. Excellent use of a trans.

It seems now we have fake engine noises being piped into our cabins, fake shifting in our automatics, and for those few who will dare it, fake driving of our cars. Is it real or is it Memorex?

 

[crazyal]

I remember when the Subaru Justy came out. It had a steel belt in the transmission and worked like a snow machine. I did a quick search and found this picture. Looks like they still use a belt.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I remember when the Subaru Justy came out. It had a steel belt in the transmission and worked like a snow machine. I did a quick search and found this picture. Looks like they still use a belt.
View attachment 476562

Many transfer cases use a chain also. Amazing the use something so simple.

Chris

 

[ovrszd]

Many transfer cases use a chain also. Amazing the use something so simple.

Chris

Yep. How can it be cheaper to use a chain versus gears??? Must be though.

 

[daugen]

Fendt Vario Transmission - YouTube

I found this explanation pretty confusing, but what jumped out at me is that Fendt is using a hydraulic motor(s) to actually power their tractor, not a chain or anything like other cvt's apparently.

So the term CVT seems to apply to a wide variety of transmission types that all share a common feature of stepless shifting, unless artificially introduced.
Infinitely variable, continuously variable, all mean the same from a marketing standpoint but the insides might be quite different. Rubber belts, chains, hydraulic pumps, take your pick.

 

[KYErik]

I guess technically the old snapper riding mowers (with the rubber covered drive wheel that could be shifted sideways so that it intersected with a drive disk at varying radius's) were the first CVT "tractors" As a kid, I always thought it was such a nice simple simple transmission/clutch system.